Saturday, April 08, 2006

Pet-Related (...and not so much...) Shopping Fun

Last nights AccesSport America Auction was a lot of fun for a great cause! The room was packed and Lenny Clarke was truly hilarious and had the crowd in stitches during the live auction which featured many incredible items up for bid. During the Silent Auction, I encountered an adorable paw-print-and-bones bracelet up for auction, which I immediately fell in love with. I did not bid on the item (it was part of a paw-print set, with a necklace pendant and earrings) but I took down the artist's name and web site address to purchase it from her separately. Her name is Hilary Taylor, and her company name is Merlin's Silver Star. It is ironic that the charity was not a pet-related one, yet I discovered another pet - related artist who was donating there!! Anyway, her company is named for her Golden Retriever Merlin. She does some beautiful, rustic, chunky work (and alternately, she also does some really lovely, flat, thin, graphic-shapes work which I admired a great deal - she was wearing some of the flat pieces). See her "Paw Prints" series on her web site. the photos are nice but they don't quite do the work justice since part of the charm is in the tactile heft and the uneven quality of it which you need to touch to fully understand. A photo of the bracelet I covet most is not posted, but if I can purchase one, I will post a photo of it online once I receive it (with Hilary's ok, of course.)

Another jewelery company, which is NOT doggie-related but which is on my brain of late, is Amy Peters Studio.com. Now, I know I usually do not post non-pet or non-pet portraiture related things here, but to stay on topic, her charms definitely could be used as doggie collar charms....Anyway, I have to give a big shout-out to Amy Peters because not only have I admired her work for a long time but not treated myself to it (because I am too practical to be buying jewelry for myself normally) but she is also an amazing business woman who is also a very generous, giving person as well: she has a business blog which is absolutely incredible - chock full of very useful and honest information which can apply to any business person in an arts field.Anyway, to back-track on what I said about not buying myself any jewelry: I *did* buy myself some of Amy's jewelry! And I can't wait to get it!! :)

Ok, ok, one more non-pet related artist I want to alert you to is my own sister Nancy, who does amazing jewelry as well. she began her jewelry career doing strictly beading work, but has since branched out into silver as well. Her work is very, very unique. I do own a couple of her pieces which I wear regularly as well. I wear my lemon - lime all the time! Here is the other one I own - I received it for Christmas as a gift from my husband. It is REALLY beautiful on - the photo definitely does not do it justice!